Who's covered for what
Association master policy
- Common elements (exterior walls, roof, elevators, hallways)
- Building systems (central HVAC, pumps, fire suppression)
- Per declaration, often "bare walls" or "all-in"
Unit owner HO-6
- Unit contents (furniture, clothing, contents)
- Unit improvements and betterments (built by owner after original construction)
- Fixtures and finishes per declaration split
- Liability
Contributing neighbor's HO-6 liability coverage
- Coverage for damage the neighbor's unit caused to other units
Common conflict patterns
Pattern 1: Pipe in wall between units
- Whose pipe? Association's or unit owner's?
- Declaration controls; usually behind drywall = common element
- Damage to both units; master policy covers common-element scope, individual HO-6s cover unit-specific
Pattern 2: Water from unit above
- Neighbor unit's plumbing leaked
- Your unit damaged
- Your HO-6 pays your damage; then subrogates against neighbor's HO-6 liability
- Or neighbor's liability pays directly; your HO-6 backstops
Pattern 3: Common-element failure (pipe in riser)
- Master policy responsible for the common-element scope
- Unit owner policies for unit-specific damage
- Coordination with property manager essential
Pattern 4: Association deductible allocation
- Master policy deductible (often $10K+) allocated among affected units
- Declaration and bylaws control allocation
- Sometimes disputed
Documentation for multi-unit claims
- Declaration and bylaws (defines common element vs. unit property)
- Association master policy (coverage and deductible)
- Each unit's HO-6 policy (if coordinating)
- Source-of-loss investigation (where did water originate?)
- Unit-by-unit damage inventory
- Common-element damage inventory
- Board minutes / notices authorizing claim handling
How Ocean Point handles multi-unit claims
We represent either the association (master-policy claim) or individual unit owners (HO-6 claim), depending on engagement. We coordinate documentation across all affected parties, avoid conflicting statements, and ensure each carrier's scope is properly defined.